ARRL General Bulletin ARLB070 (2003)

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ARLB070 Congressional recess provides opportunity to promote bills
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ARRL Bulletin 70 ARLB070
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT December 11, 2003
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB070
ARLB070 Congressional recess provides opportunity to promote bills
Just as the US House of Representatives was about to adjourn for the
year, the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act, HR 713, picked up
three new cosponsors. The addition of Democrats Sander M. Levin of
Michigan, Brad Sherman of California and Chris Van Hollen of
Maryland brings the cosponsor list to 77. The nation's lawmakers now
have headed home and won't be back in Washington until January 20.
ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, suggests that League members take
advantage of the opportunity--while members of Congress are on their
home turf--to pay a visit at their local offices and urge support
for the spectrum protection measure and for the so-called ''CC&R
bill,'' HR 1478.
''It wouldn't hurt to stop by and drop off a QSL card with a message
asking for support,'' Haynie said. ''That's what it's going to take.
Cards and letters from individual voters do make a difference.''
Judging by the number of cosponsors to date, Haynie says, the
spectrum protection bill appears to be gaining the attention of
lawmakers.
Identical versions of the Spectrum Protection Act have been
introduced in the House and Senate. The number of cosponsors for the
Senate version, S 537, remains at eight. Sponsored in the House by
Rep Michael Bilirakis (R-FL) and in the Senate by Sen Michael Crapo
(R-ID), the bill would require the FCC to provide ''equivalent
replacement spectrum'' to Amateur Radio if the FCC reallocates
primary amateur frequencies, reduces any secondary amateur
allocations, or makes additional allocations within such bands that
would substantially reduce their utility to amateurs.
Meanwhile, the cosponsor count on the CC&R bill--known formally as
HR 1478, the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act
of 2003--is holding at 29. Sponsored by Rep Steve Israel (D-NY), the
CC&R bill would require private land-use regulators such as
homeowners' associations to ''reasonably accommodate'' Amateur Radio
antennas consistent with the PRB-1 limited federal preemption. The
ARRL is seeking a sponsor for a companion bill in the US Senate.
The bills' texts, sample letters and information on how to write
members of Congress is on the ARRL's The Amateur Radio Spectrum
Protection Act of 2003 Web page,
www.arrl.org/govrelations/arspa.html and on the HR 1478, The Amateur
Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act of 2003 Web page,
www.arrl.org/govrelations/hr1478/.
Those writing their lawmakers on behalf of the Spectrum Protection
Act are asked to copy their correspondence via e-mail to
specbill03@arrl.org. Those writing on behalf of the Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Consistency Act, HR 1478, are asked to copy
their correspondence to ccr-bill@arrl.org.
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